Vehicle Overview

The Subaru Legacy is a midsize family sedan that fits above the compact Impreza in the automaker's two-car sedan lineup.

Summary

The 2015 Subaru Legacy’s standard engine is a 2.5-liter flat-four that makes 175 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, which gets paired with a CVT for an EPA-estimated 26/36 mpg city/highway. A 256-hp 3.6-liter flat-six is also available, which makes 247 lb-ft of torque and gets paired with a high-torque CVT for an EPA-estimated 20/29 mpg.

The 2015 Subaru Legacy received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA (out of a possible five stars), and is considered a 2014 Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS.

What We Think

The changes to the 2015 Subaru Legacy bring it more into the mainstream, but without compromising the values that define Subaru. Fuel economy has been improved without losing AWD and the WRX has lent its heavy-duty CVT for the flat-six model. In a Driven Review of a 2015 Subaru Legacy we noted, “The Legacy has thin A-pillars and front-quarter windows for exceptional forward visibility … the unimpeded view out is the Legacy's greatest safety feature. It also makes the Legacy feel smaller than it is when maneuvering in parking lots or looking through a corner on a tight road.”

In an Around the Block review of a 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium we said, “We can barely hear the four-cylinder when we leave an intersection and quickly find that the engine's smooth, deliberate power is the very definition of ‘adequate.’ We can't exactly blow the doors off other commuters, but we never struggle to pass on the highway.” The 2015 Subaru Legacy reminds us of the spunky 2005-2009 Legacy (a great car that still commands high resale value), improving on the platform without distilling the things Subaru has become known for.

You’ll Like

Improved CVT

Better fuel economy

Great outward visibility

You Won’t Like

Flat-four not sporty

No manual transmission

Key Competitors

Honda Accord

Toyota Camry

Chrysler 200

Ford Fusion

Kia Optima

Rating

3

2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium: Around the Block

By
Jake Holmes
- 10/10/2014

Subaru buyers are a loyal bunch, but that loyalty hasn’t translated into big sales for the company's midsize sedan. The Subaru Legacy currently stands in 10th place within its segment. It's no surprise the old Legacy was less popular than the omnipresent Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, as its performance and refinement didn't match up to its rivals, but with the 2015 Subaru Legacy, which bowed at this year's Chicago auto show, there's no longer any reason to discount the Subie.

How well does a midsize sedan compare to a trio of slapped-together muscle cars? On this episode of Roadkill, Subaru challenges Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger to three competitions to see how the 2015 Subaru Legacy stacks up against the Roadkill project cars. Subaru must feel pretty confident about the first competition, as it sends a base 2015 Legacy with a naturally aspirated 175-hp 2.5-liter flat-four engine mated to a CVT and symmetrical all-wheel-drive system against whichever car the hosts choose.

“David is a very attached to his mother,” stated my pre-school report card. It seems I was, even relative to other four-year-olds, a mama’s boy. I cried when she dropped me off and cried when she wasn’t first in line to pick me up at the end of the day. I just couldn’t understand why I couldn’t be with my mom all the time.

It's not unusual for a spinoff to become more popular than its source material: The Simpsons and the Tracey Ullman Show, Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds, Joey and Friends.* You can add to that list the Subaru Outback and Subaru Legacy. The former outsells the latter by more than 3 to 1, despite the fact that the Legacy is the older nameplate. Subaru isn't about to complain about this situation -- the Outback has been key to the brand's astronomical growth and it commands higher sticker prices -- but neither does it want to give up on the huge mid-size car market. And so, the 2015 Subaru Legacy makes its debut months ahead of its more rugged sibling and attempts to appeal directly to those who buy Honda Accords, Nissan Altimas, and Toyota Camrys.

Subaru announced that pricing for the 2015 Subaru Legacy will start at $22,490. It’s only a $400 increase over the outgoing Subaru Legacy 2.5i midsizer, but there is now more standard tech equipment, safety features, and improved fuel efficiency.

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